Smartphones, Foolish Security Choices

One quarter of smartphone users store intimate images on their mobile devices, says security vendor AVG.

10 Best Android Apps Of 2012 (click image for larger view and for slideshow)
People with smartphones could be smarter in their security practices. One smartphone user in every four, according to security firm
AVG Technologies
, stores intimate photos on a smartphone or tablet, a practice that makes a lost or stolen device a potential privacy problem.
AVG didnt specifically define intimate in its survey. The mobile survey asks whether or not people have intimate photos of themselves on their smartphone or tablet, allowing the definition of intimate to be purely up to the respondents interpretation of that word, a company spokeswoman said in an email.
In other words, among the intimate photos said to reside on a quarter of respondents mobile devices, not every image is likely to deserve an X rating. Some might not even qualify for an R or PG-13. Even so, the finding suggests that a significant percentage of smartphone users have some security and privacy blind spots.
[ Will Firefox OS phones rock the market? Read
Mozilla Firefox OS Ignites Carrier Rebellion
. ]
AVG surveyed 5,000 smartphone users in U.K., U.S., France, Germany and Brazil about the kinds of data kept on mobile devices. The company says that although respondents were acutely aware of data threats -- 50% of respondents recognized that mobile devices are less secure than computers -- they missed potential privacy implications.
JR Smith, CEO of AVG, said in a statement that the survey demonstrates consumer confusion about safe usage of mobile devices and urged companies to do more to educate consumers about privacy and security.
So, while we wait for the inevitable launch of Fruit of the Loom briefs stitched with, No Cameras Beyond This Point, AVG has some modest advice to help those who dont recognize the privacy and security implications of carrying a phone loaded with potential blackmail material.
-- Dont install (Android) apps from outside the Google Play store.
-- Dont install anything that sounds too good to be true, such as free ringtones or free wallpaper.
-- Keep your phones operating system up-to-date, even if mobile carriers dont necessarily make this easy.
-- Install an anti-virus app on your phone -- not exactly surprising advice from a company that makes an anti-virus app.
AVG neglects to mention the most obvious way to protect ones privacy: Dont store intimate photos on your phone.
Attend Interop Las Vegas, May 6-10, and attend the most thorough training on Apple Deployment at the NEW Mac & iOS IT Conference. Use Priority Code DIPR02 by March 2 to save up to $500 off the price of Conference Passes. Join us in Las Vegas for access to 125+ workshops and conference classes, 350+ exhibiting companies, and the latest technology. Register for
Interop
today!

Last News
▸ ArcSight prepares for future at user conference post HP acquisition. ◂ Discovered: 07/01/2025 Category: security	▸ Samsung Epic 4G: First To Use Media Hub ◂ Discovered: 07/01/2025 Category: security	▸ Many third-party software fails security tests ◂ Discovered: 07/01/2025 Category: security

**Cyber Security Categories**
Google Dorks Database	Exploits Vulnerability	Exploit Shellcodes

CVE List

Tools/Apps

News/Aarticles

Phishing Database

Deepfake Detection

Trends/Statistics & Live Infos

Tags:
Smartphones, Foolish Security Choices